SCS Slayer Irenicus (Part VI)

Part VI of the Sword Coast Stratagems Guide for SCS BG2.

Back to Part V: SCS Irenicus.

SCS Slayer Irenicus

SCS Slayer Irenicus is a combat encounter in SCS BG2. SCS Slayer Irenicus is staged in Hell. In this final combat encounter of the Shadows of Amn campaign, Best Party BG2 faces off against SCS Slayer Irenicus backed up by two glabrezu and two baalors.

SCS Slayer Irenicus, an Improved Hasted melee monster, inflicts 30 dmg per hit or 60 on a crit at ApR 10. During Time Stop, that is devastating. We cannot allow him to cast Time Stop.

The two Balors (26,000 XP ea) are capable of gating in other balors or mariliths. We can't allow them to do that either. When baalors enter death throe mode, they detonate a fiery AoE that can put an unprotected party on its last legs immediately. Watch out for that!

The two glabrezu mirror image themselves. They are largely ignored and just tend to fall by the wayside during the epicness.

The above enemies are highly mobile and can teleport anywhere in the combat zone, at-will. There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. We must square up.

Half of our party members have broken into HLAs/9th circle spells. But what does that mean exactly? It means that we now have a chance to beat Slayer Irenicus. To give two examples:

• Edwin and Charname Wild Mage can each fire two Chain Contingencies pre-loaded with three Abi Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings, both of which are set to trigger "Upon Enemy Sighted", and centered on the caster. For those who don't know, ADHW is a party-friendly necromatic nuke; fired from Chain Contingencies, it results in one of the most devastating direct-damage AoEs on the Infinity Engine. See Best Spells BG2.
• Since Chain Contingencies are not dispelled upon resting, we are going to be able to instantly refire both of them as we open proceedings (sum-total: ADHW x12). Each and every ADHW can potentially inflict 120 points of damage at our level - even on Slayer Irenicus. But that's only if we get extra-lucky.
• Summon one Deva, one Planetar and four Dark Planetars simultaneously. Both Devas and Planetars are capable of inflicting 30 dmg per hit and 60 on a crit. Planetars can vorpal mariliths whereas devas can disrupt liches. Suffice it to say that these are top-tier "gates" -- above baalors and pit fiends.

Relevant to this combat encounter, each and every party member has scribed the following scrolls to their spellbook:

• Offense: Melf's Minute Meteors, Remove Magic, Greater Malison, Breach, Improved Haste. 
• Defense: Mirror Image, Stoneskin, Resist Fear, Improved Invisibility, Spirit Armor (not Jan), Spell Immunity (Abjuration + Divination), Protection From Magical Weapons.

We also have access to Ruby Ray of Reversal x5. Ignore this spell and you won't even get to this point.

Aerie grants us Protection From Evil 10' radius. She self-buffs with DUHM and Righteous Magic. PfE10r is absolutely mandatory if we want to gate in pit fiends and the like.

What is everyone's fave gnome doing? Detecting Illusions.

So basically what happens is, the dozen ADHWs soften the pack for the celestials who then swoop in and finish the aggro off before it can start opening gates to the abyss, amongst other extremely nasty, nasty abilities such as on-hit bleeding and on-hit spell failure. In addition, Slayer Irenicus should be reduced to Injured or even Badly Injured Status. This happens within the first round of combat. Note how the two mighty Baalors are just... gone -- vaporized by ADHW!

Also note how, in the above screencap, I have gated in the Deva and Planetar on the left, and the Fallen Planetars on the right, with Slayer Irenicus in between. We don't want our celestials whaling away on each other (or our baatezu and tanar'ri, for that matter).

After possibly needing to cast Ruby Ray of Reversal, Slayer Irenicus will then need to have his PfMW removed (Breach) in order to become vulnerable to the holy and unholy avengers wielded by the celestials. Then, everyone in the party fires Melf's Minute Meteors as well. That is 30 meteors per round, or 60 under Improved Haste, that inflict 15 dmg ea -- MMM is a godly third circle spell.

However, Slayer Irenicus or Jon Irenicus may fire a Sequencer that dispels them. If that happens, and the celestials are beginning to unsummon/expire or we won't feel confident in their ability to hold their ground (Slayer Irenicus can beat down several of them), recast MMM, and don't hold back, because if Slayer Irenicus casts Time Stop, things may go pear-shaped for the party.

Irenicus gets owned a second time (the first was by yugoloths):

Note how the celestials swoop down on Irenicus during his scripted death cutscene.

Since they can only be present for 20 rounds at our caster level, this combat encounter was brute-forced in less than that (I estimate half that).

Shadows of Amn successfully completed with Best Mods BG2.

Next up: Throne of Bhaal: SCS Illasera -- Sword Coast Stratagems Guide -- SCS BG2.

SCS Irenicus	SCS Slayer Irenicus	SCS Illasera
SCS Gromnir	SCS Yaga-Shura	SCS Sendai
Baldur's Gate 2 (Index)	Best BG2 Mods	No Reload Run Baldur's Gate